Amasyalıdır. Hıfz-ı Kur’ân etdikten sonra Şeyhu’l-Kurrâ Hâfız Abdüllatîf Efendi’den vücûh-ı kırâ’atı ve sâir ulemâdan ulûm-ı sa’ireyi ahzedib ders-i âm oldu. Savt ve edâsı [485] ilim ve ahlâkı pek güzel olduğundan 1021’de Şehzâde Hâtun Sultân Dâru’l-kurrâsı şeyhi ve 1023 zilka’desinde Sultân Bâyezîd Câmi-i şerîfi imâm-ı sânîsi oldu.
Tam on yıl imâmet edib 1032 senesi zilka’desinde dâr-ı bekâya rihlet etdi. Âlim, sâlih, müteşerri’ bir şeyhu’l-kurrâ idi. Mahdûmu Abdüllatif Efendi yerine imâm-ı sânî olup 1065 zilhiccesinin yirmi ikisinde vefât etdi. Bunun mahdûmu Hâfız İbrâhim Efendi de câmi-i mezkûra imâm oldu. Bunlara “Karazâde” dendi.
In Modern English
He was a native of Amasya. After memorizing the Qur'an, he learned the modes of recitation (kıraat) from the Şeyhü'l-Kurrâ Hâfız Abdüllatîf Efendi and the other sciences from other scholars, and became a ders-i âm. Because his voice, his recitation, his learning, and his character were very fine, in 1021 [1612-13] he became sheikh of the Şehzade Hâtun Sultan Dârülkurrâ, and in Dhu al-Qa'dah 1023 [1614] second imam of the Sultan Bayezid Mosque.
Serving as imam for a full ten years, he departed for the next world in Dhu al-Qa'dah 1032 [1623]. He was a scholar, pious, a sheikh of reciters bound to the sharia. His son Abdüllatif Efendi became second imam in his place and died on the twenty-second of Dhu al-Hijjah 1065 [1655]. His son, Hâfız İbrâhim Efendi, also became imam at the said mosque. These were called "Karazâde."
Notes and Research
Old Words in the Text
- hıfz-ı Kur'ân: memorizing the Qur'an
- şeyhü'l-kurrâ: the head of the teachers of Qur'an recitation (kıraat)
- vücûh-ı kırâat: the different ways of reciting the Qur'an
- ulûm-ı sâire: the other sciences
- ders-i âm: a müderris with the authority to give general lessons
- savt ve edâ: voice and recitation
- dârülkurrâ: a school of Qur'an recitation and memorization
- imâm-ı sânî: second imam
- müteşerri': bound to the sharia, following religious rulings
- dâr-ı bekâya rihlet etmek: to die
The Dârülkurrâs in Amasya
The Ottomans generally called the madrasas specializing in the Qur'an dârülkurrâ. In these schools not only memorization was done; the science of kıraat, that is, the different ways of reciting the Qur'an, was also taught. According to the encyclopedia entry, Evliya Çelebi writes that there were nine dârülkurrâs in Amasya, that in the Sultan Bayezid Dârülkurrâ alone there were more than three hundred hâfızes, and that among them were also those who knew the seven readings (kırâat-i seb'a), the ten readings (aşere), and the takrîb. Hüsameddin in his book also describes eight dârülkurrâs here in detail and notes that hâfızship was also done in the boys' schools (sıbyan mektepleri), by which means many hâfızes were trained in Amasya. Ahmed Efendi's being both sheikh at the Şehzade Hâtun Sultan Dârülkurrâ and second imam at the Bayezid Mosque shows how well established Qur'an education was in the Amasya of that period.
The Sultan Bayezid Mosque
The mosque where Ahmed Efendi served as second imam is part of the complex that Bayezid II had built on the bank of the Yeşilırmak in Amasya. In the middle of the complex are the mosque, on its right the madrasa, and on its left the soup kitchen-imaret and the tabhane. The construction inscriptions show the mosque completed in Rajab 891 [July 1486]; Hüsameddin, however, writes that the construction began in Rajab 886 [September 1481]. The building was heavily damaged in the earthquakes of Muharram 999 [November 1590] and of 1079 [1668-69] and was repaired afterwards; it was also damaged by river floods. The period in which Ahmed Efendi served falls in the years of the mosque repaired after the first earthquake.
No information was found in other sources on the "Şehzade Hâtun Sultan Dârülkurrâ" and the name "Karazâde." Ahmed Efendi's teacher and his son bear the same name: Abdüllatîf. No separate record was found on his son Abdüllatif Efendi and his grandson Hâfız İbrâhim Efendi.
Bibliography
Primary sources
- Abdîzâde Hüseyin Hüsâmeddîn Yasar, Amasya Tarihi, Amasya Belediyesi Kültür Yayınları, 2022, vol. 6, p. 154–154. amasya.bel.tr
Academic studies